Ivan the Terrible and Andrey Kurbsky: a Сonflict of Interpretations

The article analyzes correspondence between Ivan the Terrible and Kurbsky as a conflict of interpretations. When founded on the common ground, the debates of contemporaries are only possible if the ideas are interpreted differently by the participants of the discussions. But the paradox of such a conflict is that it always implies some consensus. Indeed, without the common ground, any discussion is impossible. It can only be founded on the basis of a shared language, one developed within the same historical and cultural conditions. Despite coming from a commonly held conception of eschatology in Muscovy, Ivan the Terrible and Kurbsky held different views on The Last Judgment. And in spite of their mutual views on Christian martyrdom as being that which makes a Christian a Christian, they nevertheless accused one another of misinterpreting the act of martyrdom. Finally, we find it evident that both were striving to adapt models of religious philosophy to such earthly phenomena as government power, military service, and the adherence to the unbending principles of supremacy and servitude.